5 Thangs for March

Hey Everyone!

Happy almost Spring!  As this is posted, I am enjoying a bit of r&r with my hubbie, John Esty in Parrot Cay.  I hope to be able to immerse myself in yoga and meditation once again, after a long fashion-frenzy induced absence. You can only obsess about clothes for so long before you need to shed them (and hopefully some winter poundage as well!)…so here are some of my favorite thangs for March. I only have five this time (I usually like to highlight ten) but I promise to keep adding as the mood strikes.

See you in March!

Love, JB

1. The Modern Terrarium
I have always been a fan of the terrarium (believe it or not!) and have fond memories of many a 70's "contemporary" home having one.  Happily, today, a very groovy guy has updated the 70's standby with his uber updated and chic terrarium.  Jeff Schnieder has re-envisioned the terrarium and has created quite a niche for himself here in NYC among upscale designers and Zen urbanites.  For those of us with a black thumb, this is a perfect king of greenery to have at home, office or store.  Makes a very inspired gift!

http://jamesmodern.com/
http://jeffrey-james-accessories-terrariums.blogspot.com/

2. The Return of the 90’s Supermodel
This past Fashion Week (which showed the Fall 2010 collections) saw the triumphant return of many 90’s supermodels. Francisco Costa of Calvin Klein used a number of the 90’s famous faces for his show, such as Kirsty Hume, Kristen McMenamy and Stella Tennant. Yours truly (moi) also used some of the famous faces from the 90’s like Jenny Shimizu and the super babe of Sports Illustrated bathing suit fame, Shirley Mallman. Using these more seasoned women, as opposed to the 17-year-old waif added a more believable and more accessible edge to the collections. Women need to be able to see themselves in these clothes and presenting them on both the young and the not-so-young is a wonderful addition to the catwalk cul-de-sac.

3. Gay Themed Plays
There is an exciting new trend on and off Broadway. A number of gay-themed plays are up and running and even Elton John and his husband David Furnish are producing a play called “Next Fall”, which will make its Broadway premiere at the Helen Hayes Theater. It is exciting to me, as a gay man, to see plays that speak to my experience but bridge the cultural gap so that everyone can relate to the stories at hand. Running now are two plays that I have yet to see but are on my wish list, namely “The Temperamentals”, a play documenting the early gay political group, the Mattachine Society and “Yank!” a musical about the bittersweet love affair of two men serving in WW2. I must admit that I way behind on theater, but I am excited to see these productions.

4. Matching Shirt-and-Tie Combos
I love a match set and was an early customer of customer of Garanimals when I was a kid. For Spring I am featuring matching shirt and tie combos that make wearing a tie (or a bow tie) exciting again. Below are some of my faves. The windowpane oxford cloth button down shirt ($185 retail) and the matching skinny tie ($65) is a very cool update to the whole Americana mood that has permeated menswear this year. This look is perfect alone or paired with a navy blazer and a pair of beaten up khakis.

5. The Man Clutch
Ok, I am not one who is into borrowing from the women’s accessories but two of my favorite customers were recently photographed carrying the banker’s envelope that we produced as part of our RGJB (Rogue’s Gallery for John Bartlett) line. Along with a great line of t-shirts and thermals, we collectively introduced the banker’s envelope and sold out in a flash. Some came in black leather, some in black/white buffalo checks and some screen-printed with a grizzly bear. We will be making more of these for our upcoming RGJB Spring delivery now that the trend is established. I promise to keep you “post-it”!